1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a film bearing indicia, and in particular a film bearing 3-D indicia.
2. Description of Related Art
In connection with marketing, distribution and sale of products, it is very common to provide unique indicia that are printed on or adhered onto the products or their packaging. Typically, the indicia could represent logos, trademarks, etc. The indicia may be in the form of patterned images, symbols and/or characters representative of the products and their sources. Such indicia provide an effective means for consumers to distinguish between the sources of similar products in the market.
Further, to curb product counterfeiting, tamper-proof indicia have been applied to distinguish genuine or authentic products from counterfeited products. This is particularly helpful to the consumers who might not be able to effectively identify counterfeit products from genuine products without authentication indicia.
Heretofore, printing is a traditional method used to form 2-D indicia or images on various media of different materials (e.g., paper, plastics, metal, fabric, or other materials). Printing involves application of color pigments onto the surface of a substrate of a particular material. However, given the ease of printing and the wide availability of printing facilities, printed indicia can be easily duplicated or reproduced. Hence, authentication indicia can be easily duplicated by counterfeiters. Given the ease and availability of high quality printing, authentication indicia can be easily counterfeited, to render it difficult for unwary consumers to be able to effectively determine the authenticity of the authenticating indicia. Accordingly, printed indicia are not generally relied upon exclusively for product authentication. Typically, printed authentication indicia include additional features and attributes to render it more difficult for counterfeiters to duplicate such authentication indicia. This may involve special color pigments, combination of pigments, image details, embossing, material, etc.
For authenticating important and/or valuation articles (e.g., currency notes, checks, travel documents, credit cards, identification cards, etc.), higher standards of authentication indicia are required. In addition to such authentication indicia being able to display a unique image, such authentication indicia must not be easily duplicated, reproduced, copied, or otherwise counterfeited, so as to achieve a desired level of “tamper-proofing” or “anti-counterfeiting”.
Heretofore, holography has been applied to form authentication indicia, for example in the form of authentication seals applied to genuine product packaging and authentication labels on credit cards. Holography utilizes microstructures that provide a distinctive image that appears to be “dynamic”, with changing appearance depending on the view angle, which may change in color appearance and/or 3D appearance of the associated images. Therefore, holographic indicia are not as easily duplicated or counterfeited compared to printed indicia, thus providing a more reliable means to associate genuine products and articles.
While holograms were effective in identifying genuine products and articles, with technological advancement, it has become less of a challenge for counterfeiters to duplicate the holographic authentication indicia. Further, holograms are relatively expensive to reproduce for illegitimate use. There remains a need for more cost effective authentication indicia that are not easily duplicated.